Infrastructure & Telecoms
Networks, data centers, connectivity and the switch-offs reshaping them.
Openreach makes copper exits free and tests a £2,200 fiber price
Around half a million business lines are still on the analog network as line rental prices rise and the January 2027 switch-off nears. A new trial asks what firms beyond the fiber map should pay
Business broadband switching gets cheaper but still lacks a live date
TOTSCo has cut the price of its business switching hub and waived fees for smaller providers. But a year after it targeted early 2026, the service is only now entering integration testing
Zen adds eero mesh Wi-Fi to its full fiber plans for small firms
The Rochdale-based provider says patchy Wi-Fi inside the building is costing small businesses time even on fast lines, and it has commissioned research to back the claim
PXC brings CityFibre’s Ethernet Flex to its SMB connectivity partners
The wholesaler has also opened CityFibre’s business full fiber product across the network’s whole footprint, giving the resellers it supplies more to quote to small firms
The 2G switch-off charter leaves small firms to find their own SIMs
Mobile operators have signed a charter promising three years’ notice before 2G goes dark. But the government has told business users that finding every 2G-dependent device is their job, not the networks’
Meeting surging full fiber demand as rural connectivity expectations rise
Customers now expect the same speed and resilience regardless of location. Ken Topping, chief technology and information officer at GoFibre, on scaling full fiber without sacrificing network quality
The PSTN switch-off creates a compressed window for IT and telecoms partners
Gavin Jones, director of wholesale partners at BT Wholesale, discusses how the delayed UK PSTN switch-off is accelerating demand for integrated cloud voice, Teams and AI services
Churn pushes iomart’s expected earnings just below forecasts
The cloud provider to SMEs and the mid-market is growing in lower-margin work while churn hits higher-margin services. Its finance chief is also leaving
Pulsant invests £10m in AI-ready data hall in Milton Keynes
The 1.2MW high-density hall gives AI workloads a regional alternative to London. Chief executive Rob Coupland says UK digital infrastructure faces “unprecedented demand”
The PSTN deadline that matters for small firms is April, not 2027
Openreach says more than half a million business lines are still on copper. But with legacy line rental doubling through 2026, the cost can land on customers whose providers have not moved
The 2G switch-off will find the devices small firms forgot
UK operators are preparing to retire 2G, with EE planning to start in May 2029. But card readers, alarms and trackers still on 2G are often hard for networks to see, so the search falls to their owners
CityFibre opens business broadband across its whole network
Small firms, home offices and remote workers anywhere on CityFibre’s network can now buy symmetrical business-grade fiber through its reseller partners, not only in business districts